Power of Prayer - James 5:13-20 First B Jackson 2022-05-24 Automatically transcribed. Where this and the recording disagree, the recording is the record. ---- Great things and then nothing to hold on to. And then we'll end with, be without my vision, I think. Don't be afraid to sing. My voice is not. No. No. For real. My voice is... Thank you, though. Nick, you can turn this off. One. Hey. Good evening, everybody. How are you on a Monday night? Good to see you. It's good to see you. Can we give just a thank you to Michelle and Midge and Sammy for for making such a delicious spaghetti? That was so fantastic. And they're putting some to go boxes together. So if you could, I would love for all those to disappear at the end of the night. There'll be some to go boxes, and just just make them disappear if you would. We're wrapping up James tonight. It's been a really good book. And before we get there, let's let's worship and song together. Would you stand and and let's sing? Thank you, God. Thank that we are able to do this. We we get to sing of your love. In Psalm 66, he says, show... Shout joyful praises to God all the years. Sing about the glory of his name. And, God, that's what we're gonna do. He's been faithful. Been faithful forevermore. You have done great things. Hallelujah. Above it all. Hallelujah. God unshakable. You have done great things. God, as we sing that song, I I think how many of us in this room can say, God, how you have been absolutely faithful and you've seen us through. And it doesn't mean that life has gotten, easier necessarily, but you have... You've you've been through every storm. And and, pray, Lord, that, we would be aware. We we don't have to ask for your presence. You are here. You are everywhere. But, Lord, how about an awareness of your presence with us this evening? Jesus' name. Amen. Let's be reminded of from Ephesians. It says, we're God's workmanship, and he created us in Christ Jesus for good works that God prepared in advance for us. Just think about that for a minute, that there are good works that God prepared us in advance for. Nothing I hold on to. Nothing I hold on to. Mean, I leave not on my own understanding. Yeah. That would be my prayer for us tonight that we would be living life with an open heart and an open hand, not not holding on too tightly. But, Lord, leaving room for you as you are sovereign, really, leading us along. Help us to to know, God. What is our responsibility too? We know that you're sovereign, but what is our our... Also, how how does our responsibility in life, play a role as well? Would you speak through the scripture tonight, Lord, in James? In Jesus' name. Amen. Alright. How are we doing? The book of James. Alright. So if you're just joining us, we've been just studying chapter by chapter, verse by verse, book of James. This is the last chapter in James' rector night, and it's been just so good and so spot on. Can I just share one of my favorite verses here? Let me see if this works. Here we go. There's... There it is. So I I just wanna share just for me personally. Right? It's gotta mean something to me. If I'm gonna share it to you, I gotta... It's gotta mean something to me too. And and this has been so meaningful to me right now, maybe more than than any other time in in my life, and it's because I need wisdom. And I find that I need so much more wisdom than I have. And I'm not just talking like knowledge, but knowledge plus understanding. Like, life requires wisdom. Yes. It really does. How how do we respond? How do we deal with things? How do we... You know, just from day to day, how do we do this? And James says the wisdom from God is pure, and it's peace loving, and it's gentle at all times. It's willing to yield to others. It's full of mercy and good deeds. It shows no favoritism, and it's always sincere. And I feel like the Lord has been telling me going, Carl, I want you to read that. I want you to read that again. I want you to read that again. I want you to read again. And so I'm I'm sharing it with you because this is a is a very, very meaningful verse for me right now in this period of my life that that I just... It's always been important, but it's... Have you ever had a time where a verse was just... It seemed more important than other times? That's that's James three seventeen for me right now. So we're gonna wrap up the book tonight. It's chapter five verses 13 through 20, And the headings in my Bible are the power of prayer and restoring wandering believers. So I'm gonna just go ahead and read it through and then share a few comments. And and here's what it says. It says, are any of you suffering hardships? You should pray. Okay. Are any of you happy? You should sing praises. Alright. We did that. We got to do that tonight. Are any of you sick? You should call on the elders of the church to come and pray over you, anointing you with oil in the name of the Lord. Such a prayer offered in faith will heal the sick, and the Lord will make you well. And if you've committed any sins, you'll be forgiven. Verse 16, confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results. Verse 17. Elijah was as human as we are. And yet when he prayed earnestly that no rain would fall, none fell for three and a half years. Verse 18. Then he prayed again, and the and the sky sent down rain, and the earth began to yield its crops. 19. My dear brothers and sisters, if someone among you wanders away from the truth and is brought back, you can be sure that whoever brings the sinner back from wandering will save that person from death and bring about the forgiveness of many sins. And there ends the the book James. Great book. I'd like to pray first and then just just work work our way through the the verses. So, Lord, just as Colossians says, I pray that the scripture that we just read would fill our lives, really. So that means to fill our our our our hearts, to fill our minds, but to fill our lives so that we can lovingly teach and counsel each other with the wisdom that you give us. In Jesus' name. Amen. So let's start with verses thirteen and fourteen. Are any of you suffering hardships? You should... Let's say it out loud. Pray. Pray. Are any of you happy? You should sing praises. Okay. Are any of you sick? You should call on the elders of the church to come and pray over you, anointing you with oil in the name of the Lord. Okay. So so far, we've got pray, sing praises, pray, pray when you're suffering, sing praises when you're happy, ask the elders to pray over when you're sick. I I think that this is important. I think he's trying to make a point here. Pray. That means literally to interact with the Lord by switching human wishes or ideas for his wishes as he imparts faith. So I see three really, really important things right there in in that definition. So number one, interaction with the Lord. It seems like a given, but it's it's just going. It is going to God. It is talking with him. I just had a beautiful conversation with someone right in this in in this room about somebody who was feeling very hesitant to pray and and how this person just said, can we can we talk to the Lord together? And I thought, that's beautiful. That's absolutely beautiful. Going to. Hebrews. Let's just take a look at this because some... Sometimes we might feel real hesitant to go to the Lord in prayer, and we really don't need to. In Hebrews, it says we can come boldly, boldly before the throne of our gracious God, and there we'll receive his mercy, and we'll find grace to help us when we need it most. I mean, doesn't that just share God's heart with us to say, you can come to make boldly. Boldly. But it starts with going to him, talking with him. And then number two, check this out, switching our wishes or ideas for his. So it's us going, alright. Well, God, what is your desire? Okay. So I'm I'm I'm here. I'm with you. I'm talking with you, God. But really, what is your desire as I pray? Alright. Remember when Jesus taught his disciples to pray, your kingdom come, your will be done? It really is that mindset of exchanging our wishes and desires for for his. And then third, I I like this part. This struck me this week. As we pray, he imparts faith. So in other words, prayer is a faith builder. It builds our faith when we pray. This is good. So I'll just say this definition has made a big impact on me. I needed to hear that this week. What is prayer? Going to God, exchanging my wishes and desires for his. And as I go to him, he imparts faith. Alright. So we have pray when you're suffering, sing praises when you're happy, and ask the elders to pray over you when you're sick. Verse 15. It says, such a prayer offered in faith will heal the sick, and the Lord will make you well. So I I I wrestled with this one this weekend. In fact, I'd go up to to pastor Ray's office, and I go, Ray, help me out here. Help me out here. Because my mind goes to, well, how sick do they have to be? Or are we talking terminal illness here? Are we talking a common cold? You know? I don't know. He doesn't say. I just know this. I know this. When the elders have been called upon to pray for the sick, no matter what the outcome has been, we've seen some healed and some not, I am so thankful and glad that we have and that we did and that we do. For that person being prayed for that's asked us to pray and for those who are praying for them, it is so mutually edifying. I can think of a time when we were with someone who was terminally ill, and we sang together, and we prayed together. There was even some lighthearted times of laughter, and it was absolutely beautiful. God's presence filled that room. And for everyone who was praying in that room, we were filled up to overflowing. And for the person being prayed for, Peace. It's just like that definition of prayer. It is faith building. It it truly is. I think God calls us to this for a reason. To be in touch with God is... It it really... And also to be in touch with one another, it is... It's just... It edifies us and it and it glorifies God. It really does. But I believe that the point here that James is making is pray. Go ahead and do this. Pray at all times, every occasion. Verse 15 goes on to say, and if you have committed any sins, you'll be forgiven. You know, released from your sins, forgiven. And there's a peace of heart and a peace of mind there that comes with prayer. There's another kind of healing just in and of itself. He continues on in verse 16. Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. There it is again. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results. And here's the example here that he gives in seventeen and eighteen. Elijah. So he's as human as we are, and yet when he prayed earnestly that no rain would fall, none fell for three and a half years. And then he prayed again, and the skies sent down rain, and the earth began to yield crops. That is an extreme example. I know. But no doubt about it, the earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results. And that's a great example right there. Real life application. Can I just say this? Don't underestimate the power of your prayers. Don't underestimate the power of your prayers. They matter. Sometimes we don't always understand how they're going to be answered, when they're gonna be answered, but they matter. They put us in touch with almighty God, our creator, who created us in advance to do good works, to to know him, to have a relationship with almighty God. They put us in touch with him, and it gets us moving toward his will. And it also builds our faith. I mean, I'm looking at this and I'm going, oh, man. I think mine could really increase here. I I I really think my prayer my my prayer life could could do better. I think we all could say that. Right? But we have the privilege, the opportunity to go to to God in prayer anytime. And it doesn't have to be wordy or some scripted prayer, using special words, but it's that constant ongoing communication with God, and we and we have the privilege to be able to to do that. A pastor named Chuck's... Charles Spurgeon, he said, true prayer is neither... It's a mere mental exercise or a vocal performance. It's not an exercise or a performance. It's far deeper than that. It's a spiritual transaction with the creator of heaven and earth. I love how pastors can say stuff like that. That's why we quote them. You know? It's... But it it truly is... I say this, it is... It's something that we get to do. We don't have to. We we get to. You've probably seen this model of prayer before, an acronym called ACTS, a c t s. When we don't always know when or where to start, I feel like this can be really helpful. A. A for adoration. Let's try this one more. There it is. It's it's simply praising God for all that he is. Like when Isaiah says, lord, you are my God. I will exalt you. I'll lift you up. I'll praise your name. Why? You're worthy. You've done wonderful things, plans formed of old, faithful and sure. We praise him for for who he is, and the scripture is great because it helps us to know, well, how do I praise you? Well, I can see in scripture. That kinda gives me the words to to praise God for all that he is. And then how about c? C is for confession. That's that's simply admitting our sins to God and asking him for his forgiveness and mercy. And I want you to see this because this is what's true. If we confess our son... Sins to him, when we come in agreement and say the same thing with God about, yes, I have fallen short. I know it. You know it. I'm just laying it out there on the table. He is faithful and just to forgive us of our sins and cleanse us from all wickedness. That is so good and so freeing. Because that confession and forgiveness, it releases us from the burden of our shortfalls. It frees us up. How about this? Tea for thanksgiving. It's just simply thanking God for all he has done. I know some people have like a thankfulness journal. It's a good idea. It truly is. I mean, it's very, very simple. And I'm... I'll speak for me. It's very simple to begin to think about everything negative going on. What about the things we're thankful for? And the Psalms are awesome in this way. Like Psalm 100, enter his gates with thanksgiving. Go to his courts with praise. Give thanks to him and praise his name. Why? Verse five, for the Lord is good, and his unfailing love continues forever, and his faithfulness continues to each generation. That's why. We thank him. And then s, supplication. That's just bringing our request. It's asking. Asking him to answer our prayers according to his will. Because remember in that definition, that prayer is exchanging our wishes for his wishes, our will for his will. Right? And asking him to answer those prayers. Like in Isaiah, God... He he he tells God's people, God will be gracious if you ask for help. He will surely respond to the sound of your cries. He's there. He's listening. He will answer. He will... Now, again, this is just a guide. It's a guide. If you're like, look, Carl, you and your ex prayer can take a walk. I I... You know, that's that's not how it is. There's no special formula. Alright? Ephesians just... It says it this simply. Pray in the spirit at all times and in every occasion. I like that. That is so good. And then we're gonna end with nineteen and twenty. They show us another reason why prayers is so important when it comes to restoring wandering believers. So he says, my dear brothers and sisters, if someone among you wanders away from the truth and is brought back, you can be sure that whoever brings the sinner back from wandering will save that person from death and bring about the forgiveness of many sins. I can't think... I can't help but think how important prayer plays a role in restoring wandering believers. That's the first thing that comes to mind in the context of of chapter five is, oh, lord, do we need prayer if we are trying to or attempting to restore wandering believers? I think that prayer should always be our first number one move. Always. Let's ask God, the Holy Spirit, to do the convicting and the convincing. Really. That that that is... Well, let me just let me just read this. John six forty four, Jesus said, no one can come to Jesus unless the father draws them to Jesus. My friends, this is a god sized task. When someone is wandering away, it requires prayer... It it requires the Holy Spirit, God the father, to draw them to Jesus. It really does. Verse 20, it says this, and we can be sure that whoever brings the sinner back will save that person from death and bring about the forgiveness of many sins. So, like, to me, that's a beautiful illustration of great power and wonderful results. Save that person from death and bring about the forgiveness of many sins? Yes. Great power, wonderful results. But you get the idea here? Prayer is important. It really is. It has great power. It produces wonderful results. And I would say it just one more time. Let's not underestimate the power of our our prayers because they keep us connected with the Lord. They keep us connected to one another. They shift our focus from our desires to God's wishes and desires, and they're a faith builder. I think it's a compelling reason. So those are just a few thoughts from from James. I I think I'm gonna just end right there tonight, and I'm gonna invite the the band to to come back up. And and next week, we're gonna start Colossians. And, yeah, James has been my my my very favorite book, and I'm I'm I'm grateful to I'm very, very grateful to have to been going through it. And I would say this. Sometimes it's a difficult thing to ask for prayer publicly, and I I I just want you to know that. And I can just... These three these three guys right up here would be happy to, after this service tonight, to pray with you if there's something that that you feel burdened by, if... Just as James said, if you're if you're ill, pray. If you're suffering, pray. If you're happy, sing praises. We'll celebrate with you. But we're here. We are. And and we believe it's powerful and effective. So that being said, let me let me pray for a moment here. God, I I thank you so much for this deeply, deeply practical book. It is so timely, and I thank you for putting the importance of prayer in front of us tonight. God, would you remind us that you are always listening? You are always inviting us to actively be a part of what you're doing. Even when we we don't understand, God, would you would you help us to faithfully follow you and trust that you work in all things for our good, for your glory. Jesus' name. Amen. Amen. Would you would you stand with me and we're gonna sing Be Thou My Vision. Wanna just... Here's a ascending verse, and and feel free to to hang out again. There's a bunch of leftovers back there too. Please grab grab that. But I think this is good for all of us here just as ascending verse throughout the week. Ephesians reminds us to pray in the spirit at all times and every occasion. God, may that be us, that we are truly just having this ongoing constant communication with you. It it doesn't even have to be words, but even just in our mind, we are acknowledging that you are God and we're bringing everything, all in... All things in every occasion to you Amen. In the spirit and that we are... We stay alert and persistent in our prayers for believers everywhere. Amen.